Terms of Service

These Terms of Service govern the use of Independent OJS, OMP, and OPS Technical Support Center and its technical support services for scholarly publishing platforms. By submitting a request, uploading files, requesting a quote, making payment, or using our services, you agree to these terms.

Please read these terms carefully before requesting or using any service.

1. Nature of Our Services

Independent OJS, OMP, and OPS Technical Support Center provides independent technical support services for scholarly publishing platforms, including:

OJS, OMP, and OPS installation and initial setup
Platform upgrades and version review
Migration between hosting providers, domains, servers, or platform versions
Troubleshooting and bug fixing
Plugin installation and configuration
Email and SMTP configuration
Security hardening and SSL support
Backup planning and restore support
Theme and interface customization
Multilingual setup and Arabic/English interface support
Metadata, XML/JATS, DOI, and Crossref technical readiness support
Managed hosting and annual technical support plans
Training and editorial workflow configuration

Our services are intended to help clients operate, maintain, improve, and troubleshoot their own scholarly publishing platforms.

2. Independent Status

Independent OJS, OMP, and OPS Technical Support Center is an independent technical support service provider. It is not PKP, and it is not officially affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Public Knowledge Project unless explicitly stated.

OJS, OMP, OPS, and PKP are names associated with the Public Knowledge Project. References to these platforms describe the systems for which technical support may be provided and do not imply official representation, endorsement, or partnership.

3. Client Authority and Responsibility

Clients must be authorized to request technical support for the journal, website, platform, server, hosting account, database, files, or related materials submitted to us.

By submitting a request, the client confirms that:

They have the right to request support for the submitted platform or materials.
The information and files submitted are accurate to the best of their knowledge.
They are responsible for platform ownership, institutional approval, user accounts, published content, and final decisions.
They will review and approve any technical changes before relying on them.
They will not provide materials, access, or instructions that violate applicable laws, institutional rules, hosting rules, or third-party rights.

4. Scope of Work

Each service is delivered according to an agreed scope of work. The scope may include the requested service, deliverables, timeline, price, access requirements, number of revisions or checks, and client responsibilities.

Any request outside the agreed scope may require a revised quote, additional payment, and adjusted timeline.

5. Services We Do Not Provide

We do not provide services that involve unauthorized access, illegal activity, abuse of systems, or unethical use of technical support. We do not:

Access platforms, servers, databases, or files without proper authorization
Bypass security controls without permission
Create, install, or support malware, spyware, or harmful scripts
Delete, alter, or move data without client authorization and agreed scope
Guarantee journal indexing, publication, editorial approval, or third-party decisions
Guarantee successful recovery, upgrade, migration, or hosting performance in all cases
Provide false technical reports or misleading information to institutions or third parties
Perform work that violates applicable laws, institutional rules, hosting rules, or platform policies

6. No Guarantee of Technical or Third-Party Outcomes

We aim to provide careful and professional technical support, but we do not guarantee successful recovery, successful upgrade, successful migration, uninterrupted hosting, server availability, indexing, publication, editorial approval, or any decision made by external parties.

Technical outcomes depend on many factors, including platform condition, hosting environment, server limits, backups, database status, plugin compatibility, theme customization, file integrity, available access, and the agreed scope of work.

7. Use of Submitted Files and Technical Information

Submitted files and technical information are used only for assessing, quoting, communicating about, and delivering the requested service.

Clients should not submit passwords, private keys, database passwords, full server credentials, or sensitive access details through public forms. If access is required, secure sharing instructions will be provided after the request is reviewed and the scope of work is agreed.

Clients are responsible for ensuring that submitted materials do not violate confidentiality obligations, institutional policies, copyright, data protection rules, or third-party rights.

8. Communication and Project Management

Communication may take place through email, WhatsApp, platform messages, or other approved channels. The client is responsible for providing accurate contact information and responding to requests for clarification in a timely manner.

For accurate assessment and proper tracking, technical support requests should be submitted through the request form whenever possible. WhatsApp may be used for quick questions and follow-up, while email may be used for formal communication, quotations, invoices, and institutional correspondence.

Delays in client responses, missing access, missing files, unclear instructions, hosting restrictions, or late changes may affect delivery timelines.

9. Revisions and Changes in Scope

Some services may include limited checks, corrections, or adjustments within the agreed scope. These are intended to address issues related to the original request and agreed deliverables.

Major changes, additional problems, new platforms, extra journals, new plugins, different hosting environments, major redesigns, or requests outside the original scope may require additional fees and a revised timeline.

10. Delivery of Work

Deliverables may include technical fixes, configuration changes, migration results, upgrade completion, plugin setup, email configuration, backup guidance, training, technical notes, or reports according to the agreed scope.

Final delivery depends on the agreed timeline, available access, hosting conditions, client cooperation, and payment terms.

11. Payments

Clients must follow the agreed payment terms before work begins or before final delivery, depending on the service type and project size.

Some services may require full payment in advance, milestone payments, or a deposit before work begins. For more information, please refer to the Payment, Milestones & Refund Policy.

12. Refusal or Suspension of Service

We reserve the right to refuse, suspend, or discontinue service if:

The client is not authorized to request the service
The request involves unauthorized access or illegal activity
The client provides misleading or incomplete information
The client requests actions outside the agreed scope without approval
The client fails to make agreed payments
The client engages in abusive, fraudulent, or inappropriate conduct
The requested work creates unreasonable technical, legal, or security risk

13. Limitation of Liability

Independent OJS, OMP, and OPS Technical Support Center provides technical support based on the information, access, files, backups, and hosting conditions available at the time of service.

We are not responsible for third-party hosting failures, server limitations, data loss caused by missing or invalid backups, platform defects, incompatible plugins, external attacks, client-side changes, or decisions made by journals, publishers, indexing databases, institutions, hosting providers, or other third parties.

The client remains responsible for reviewing, approving, and using any final deliverables, technical changes, or recommendations appropriately.

14. Policy Updates

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. Updated versions will be posted on this page.